They played outside for awhile, then watched a half hour of FRIENDS reruns over at Dill’s. Dill liked FRIENDS for some unusual reason; Peter didn’t care one way or the other.
After the show, Dill insisted they make their way back to Peter’s house. At exactly 5:37 they were sitting at the kitchen table, eating peanut butter sandwiches, when Peter’s mom walked in. She had a howling Beth in one arm and a sack of groceries in the other. She didn’t look too cheerful.
“Hi, Mrs. Normal,” Dill piped up.
Mom ignored him. “Peter, I need some help with the groceries out in the car.”
“I’ll help!” Dill volunteered.
Mom looked at him wearily as she shifted Beth from arm to arm. “What do you want, Dill?”
Dill tried to look genuinely shocked. “What’re you talking about? I’m just trying to help!”
Beth wailed on. Mom scowled more.
“I don’t have time for your baloney, Dill. What do you want?”
Dill gestured to his chest innocently. “Baloney? Moi? That hurts, Mrs. N.”
“It’s Ms. N,” Mom said with irritation, just as the phone rang. She picked it up and said sharply, “What?”
Peter cringed. Dill’s plan was going to backfire…
…and then a miracle happened. Mom’s face suddenly brightened, and she broke out into a big smile.
“Oh, hiiiii!” she beamed. “Oh, no, I’m sorry, I thought you were a telemarketer… hold on, sorry.” She set Beth down on the ground, pulled out a tub of ice cream, took off the top, and dropped the tub in Beth’s lap.
Beth stopped crying. She looked down at the ice cream, then up at Mom, then at Peter like, What just happened?
Then she dug in with both hands.
Mom went back to talking on the phone.
“Okay, there we go…uh huh…oh yes! Uh huh…that would be great, I’d love that! Okay – 7:30? Okay, that’s great! Do you know where I live – oh, yeah, I guess everybody knows,” she laughed. “I’ll see you then.”
She hung up the phone, all smiles.
Dill’s mood, however, had gone from jubilant to sour in 30 seconds flat. By the time the phone clicked down, he looked like he wanted to play kickball using somebody’s head.
“Soooooo…what was that all about?” he asked.
“Hm? Oh, nothing,” Mom said happily, as she started stacking cans in the pantry.
“Doing something tomorrow night, huh?”
“Yes. Oh, Peter, that reminds me, I need you to babysit tomorrow night.”
Dill went a ghastly shade of pale.
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Copyright © 2009 Darren Pillsbury. All rights reserved.
7 comments:
Poor Dill!
His plan backfired on him!
I'd take them to the circus if I could! Sadly, I'm not part of the story. Or am I? DUN DUN DUN!
Okay.. no... just wishful thinking. *sigh*
~N7
Gutted! Like anyone would want Dill with them on a date lol
Just something I've been wondering - do Peter and Dill still have to work at the mall as their punishment? And if so, how freaked-out are they?!
N7 -
I should run a contest to have someone get their name in a story...hmmmm...
Cat -
Good point. I hadn't thought of it... my guess is they were able to cut some kind of deal where they didn't have to go back in the mall.
Maybe they had Peter's mom ask Ranger Eric very nicely...
Bologna? At least that's what the Oscar Meyer commercials tell me. :D
I kind of expected that to backfire on him. Nothing could go that smoothly in your world Mr. Pillsbury :). At least now that mom is out of the house they can sneak off with Beth to the carnival. It won't be quite what they wanted but... it's an option. "But mom, Beth wanted to go!" Anything for Beth?
I also love that mom plopped a tub of ice cream in Beth's lap to get her to shut up. Beth must have been so bewildered. :)
~Rai
Oh, man...Beth really reminds me of my friend's baby. After 45 minutes of her screaming in my ear yesterday, I can totally put myself into this scene. Too bad I didn't have any ice cream...
Rai -
Don't count Dill out yet!
He's smoooooooooth.
Well, when he's not peeing his pants.
Stormy Llew -
Hi there! Have you posted before? If not, welcome! If so, welcome back! And yeah, if you want to see Beth at her MOST annoying, go check out PETER AND THE CHANGELING! If only Peter and Dill had thought of the ice cream tub THEN...
True...
When I was worried about Beth in the last story, I read someone's comment where they mentioned that the trolls sent her back and I had a light bulb moment--Beth can definitely take care of herself.
And I comment on occasion...I'm just not very vocal (and I was mainly offline for a month and a half recently) :)
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